Aamer Jamal: Meet the Pakistani all-rounder waging a lone battle against Australia Down Under

Aamer Jamal is an all-rounder who can bowl in excess of 140 km/h and hit the ball long in the lower order.
 By Darpan Jain Jan 6, 2024, 00:17 IST
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Fittingly, Aamer Jamal has made his Test debut down under, where the pacers have to grind to attain success.

Destiny works in mysterious ways. Aamer Jamal would agree. From playing for Pakistan in U-19 to becoming a taxi driver in Australia and then debuting for Pakistan in Test cricket, the journey has been nothing less than a rollercoaster for Jamal.

Aamer Jamal is an all-rounder who can bowl in excess of 140 km/h and hit the ball long in the lower order. Aamer played for Pakistan’s U-19 team but had to become a taxi driver to help his family financially. He spent four years as a taxi driver and put his cricket dream aside. Jamal was part of the grade cricket down under and got to know about the upcoming Pakistan U-23 tour.

“When I played for Pakistan U-19, and I couldn’t make it into the First Class for four years, I decided to move to Australia to play a couple of games here, and then I played for Hawkesbury in Sydney in New South Wales Premier League,” said Aamer Jamal in an interview with 7 Cricket. “When I played (for) four or five months, I heard that the Pakistan U-23 team was going to tour somewhere. I wanted to go there. I wanted to represent my country again. And then I went back to Pakistan, but I couldn’t get a chance to get into the U-23 team.”

Jamal kept toiling in the domestic circuit and finally made his First Class debut in 2018 for Pakistan TV against Multan. He impressed immediately, snaring six wickets in the game. The 27-year-old also made his List A debut for Pakistan TV in Rawalpindi and again bowled brilliantly to end with 3/51, helping his team win the game.

Since his return from Australia, Jamal has continued working hard with dedication for Pakistan TV. He finally made his T20 debut for Northern in the National T20 Cup in 2021. He was again the standout performer, taking three wickets with the ball before playing a fabulous 27-run cameo in 14 balls to take his team through and win the Man of the Match award.

Jamal snared five wickets at 17 balls apiece in four innings in the tournament. He also made 62 runs at a strike rate of 147.61 with the willow.

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His domestic performances earned him the national call-up in the T20I team last year against England. Jamal was under the pump straight away and had to defend 15 runs in the final over. He did well and helped Pakistan win the game by six runs.

However, his best moment came when Jamal was included in the three-match Test series against Australia down under. His performances in this series have made him a national star. Jamal made his Test debut in the first encounter in Perth.

As he has always done, Jamal impressed in his maiden Test outing, taking six wickets in the first innings. Since then, the 27-year-old has continued to shine and has been among the few positive for Pakistan in this series. Jamal is Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker, snaring 18 wickets at a fabulous average of 19.22 and a strike rate of 28.56 in five innings.

It includes two six-wicket hauls. Jamal also has 125 runs at an average of 31.25. His fighting 82 in the first innings of the Sydney Test shows his natural ability to grind and achieve things with his dedication. The knock proved crucial, as Pakistan got a 14-run lead in the first dig.

Jamal has steamed in and bowled with heart throughout the series. Wasim Akram tagged him as “the find of the tour”. “The pride of Pakistan, he has been in this series,” said Ian Smith.

Aamer Jamal’s journey has been inspiring, something for everyone to learn. He could have left his cricket dream and gotten involved in some other trade, but his passion drove him to return to Pakistan. All the hard work he put in has finally paid off.

“Lots of people were pushing me to stop playing cricket and (saying) ‘There’s no hope’. I said, ‘No. There’s always hope’,” said Aamer Jamal.

Fittingly, Aamer Jamal has made his Test debut down under, where the pacers have to grind to attain success. His journey has precisely been that. He had to work hard for everything in life.

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